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Yesterday I attempted to turn on my AC for the first time in months. When I left my home it was 70 degrees inside. When I returned it was 75. I followed all the suggested troubleshooting measures and determined no power was getting to the unit. I called an HVAC guy out to the house today. Immediately upon seeing the unt he said "Oh no". Someone attempted to sever the liquid line and all the freon leaked out. He asked me did I know when it could have happened. I had no clue. I then asked if this could have affected my power bill since it has doubled over the past few months from my normal usage. I asked because I didn't think the fan outside was used when heating the home, but wanted to be sure. He told me this probably was a significant reason why.
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Get a second opinion and pricing. Did he say the compressor was shot? The compressor could have serious damage,or not, running all day w/o refrig. What kind of warranty is in effect on this one anyway? A repalcement compressor would have its own warranty. A new 13 seer unit is a good choice, with new coil of course, but they cost a lot and insurance may only pay for repair of old unit.
I have repaired many major leaks and watched the original compressors continue to operate 10 years later. I see no reason to replace oil, but thorough evacuation, add a dryer, and test the oil to see if it looks bad. If you get an ins. check for repair, don't cash it or sign off until the repair has gone at least 30 days without problems.
If you haven't run the a/c for several months there would be no increase on your bill related to the damage, unless it was a heatpump. The Tech? should have known this.